GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
Unite for Change Leadership Council Member and *GOOD* Secretary-General
6 December 2025
The GOOD Party is deeply concerned about the protection of whistleblowers and witnesses, in the wake of the news that Marius van der Merwe was gunned down in Brakpan. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues.
The timing is of particular concern, considering that his testimony (as the unseen Witness D) implicated Deputy Chief of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), Julius Mkhwanazi, in proceedings of the Madlanga Commission, which is probing alleged corruption in the criminal justice system. Among other evidence, Van der Merwe alleged that Mkhwanazi gave the order for Van der Merwe to dispose of the body of an unnamed man who was tortured and killed in 2022.
If witnesses and whistleblowers are not protected, they will be unlikely to come forward, fearing the consequences of doing so. The tragic killing of Van der Merwe lays bare how dangerous testifying can be, even for witnesses who remain anonymous on the stand. Their testimony can lead to their identification, which may well have been the case in this instance.
Van der Merwe laid bare his fear for his own life, stating before the Commission that if he did not comply with the conspiracy to cover up the murder, “then I would probably be next”. There is no question that the witness believed his testimony would put him at risk, especially as revealing his role in the cover-up would be a clear indication of who the witness was to Mkhwanazi and his allies at EMPD.
The GOOD Party once again calls for urgent attention to the issue of protection for witnesses and whistleblowers who have the courage to tell the truth. As long as people who are implicated walk free and the brave truth-tellers end up in early graves, there will be no true justice, and our citizens will never be truly safe.
Media Enquiries: media@forgood.org.za